I am currently reading TheThe Tainted CupThea fantasy detective novel.

Think “Sherlock Holmes set in Westeros.”

The main character has this augmentation that allows him to understand every single detail of every interaction, crime scene, and then recite these exact details again at a later date.

I remember something scary Black Glass episode about this very thing: to remember every fact of every interaction in the past.

Here’s the thing: in all of these situations, the facts may be true, but the analysis of these facts still leaves a lot of room for improvement.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently when I came across two stories I’d like to share:

“TheThe Past Is Not TrueThe” from Derek Sivers:

When I was 17, I was driving recklessly and crashed into an oncoming car. I found out that I had broken another driver’s spine, and he would never walk again.

I carried that burden everywhere, and I felt so terrible about it for so many years that at age 35 I decided to seek out this woman to apologize. I found his name and address, went to his house, knocked on the door, and a middle-aged woman answered. As soon as I said, “I’m the teenager who hit your car eighteen years ago and broke your spine”, I started sobbing – a big ugly cry, coming out of years of regret.

He was so sweet, and hugged me saying, “Oh sweetie, sweetie! Don’t worry. I’m fine!” Then he pulled me to his living room. walked

I misunderstood.

Yes she fractured a couple vertebrae but it never stopped her from walking. He says that “that little accident” helped him focus on his fitness, and has since been in better health than ever.

Then he apologized for causing the accident in the first place. Apologize.

And this Thestory about “the good old days”The from author Morgan Housel:

A few months ago I mentioned to my husband about how wonderful (life is in the early 20s). We are 23 years old, well employed, living in our version of the Taj Mahal. This was before the kids, so we slept in until 10am on the weekend, went for walks, had brunch, naps, and went out for dinner. That’s our life. For many years.

“That’s peak living, as good as it gets,” I told him.

“What are you talking about?” he said. “You were more anxious, scared, and probably depressed then than before.”

…In my mind, now, I look back and think, “Maybe I was so happy then. Those were my best years.”

But in truth, at the time, I was thinking, “I can’t wait for these years to be over.”

I think a lot about the past, and our future. It turns out, neither is set in stone!

Which Past Story Can You Rewrite?

As the cliché goes, it’s easier to connect the dots looking back than it seems.

Is there a story from your past about a particular moment that you still carry with you?

Maybe it’s full of shame about something that happened, but it led to something better for you.

Maybe it’s longing for a past life that didn’t really exist.

The past has happened, but that doesn’t mean it’s set in stone!

Returning to Sivers:

“You can change your history.

Actual factual events are a very small part of it. Everything else is opinion, open to reinterpretation.

The past is never over.”

I want to know which story you tell yourself about the past, good or bad, that you decide to rewrite?

-Steve

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